Pengaruh Asam Metoksiasetat terhadap Organ Reproduksi Mencit (Mus musculus) Swiss Webster Jantan

Maman Rumanta, Tien W. Surjono, Sri Sudarwati

Data & Software Engineering Research Group
STEI-ITB, Jl. Ganeca No.10, Bandung 40132, Indonesia

Methoxyacetic acid (MAA) is one of the metabolities of dimethoxyethyl phthalate (DMEP), which is mainly used as plasticizer in the manufacture of plastics. DMEP could leach from plastics and by entering the body, it will be metabolized into MAA which is teratogenic toxic to several organs, particularly male reproductive organs. To investigate the effects of MAA on the male reproductive organs, seven-week-old Swiss Webster mice were treated with MAA at the doses of  100, 150, 225, and 300 mg/kg  body weight  daily by gavage, within four consecutive weeks with one-day interruption in each weekend. Observatiopn was performed on the weight of testis, epididymis, and seminal vesicle; the number, motility, and morphology of the spermatozoa obtained from the caudal epididymis, the histological structure of testis, including diameter, ephitelial thickness and the performance of seminiferous tubules; the number of spermatogenic cells, as well as the number of Sertolli and Leydig cells. Compared to control the result showed, whereas the abnormal ones increased. The diameter, ephitelial thickness, as well as the percentage of normal (stage VII) seminiferous tubules were reduced, while the percentage of abnormal tubules increased. The administration of MAA led to the degeneration of spermatogenic cells, particularly the pachytene spermatocyte  and spermatids, shown by the reduction in their number. The spermatogonia A and the preleptotene spermatocytes were the most resistant spermatogenic cells to MAA. The number of Sertolli and Leydig cells were not affected by MAA, despite a toxic phenomenon of Sertolli cells characterized by vacuolization in the cytoplasm was shown. It is concluded that testis is the most susceptible  to MAA insult, which subsequently interferes the spermatogenesis of male Swiss Webster mice.

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